Easy American Idioms » Lesson 8 - Fits Like a Glove!

Word List
  • Like looking for a needle in a haystack
    Looking for something that is very difficult to find.
  • To check something out
    To see or find out about something.
  • To be someone’s cup of tea
    To be pleasing or interesting to someone. To fit someone’s tastes or interests.
  • To pay through the nose
    To pay a lot of money.
  • To wake up on the wrong side of the bed
    To be in a bad mood.
  • Wet blanket
    Unenthusiastic or disagreeable, lacking theappropriate attitude or spirit for a particular situation.
  • Out of style
    No longer in fashion or vogue.
  • To drag someone somewhere
    To convince someone to go or come somewhere they don’t want to be.
  • To keep up with the trends
    To follow new fashions or trends very closely.
  • To try something on
    To wear a piece of clothing to see if it fits properly or looks nice on a person. Notice that you can extend this idiom to “try something on for size.” It can mean the same thing as to try an article of clothing on, or it can be used generally to mean to try something and see how it feels or works.
  • Low-cut
    Describes clothing that is cut to reveal skin, to cover less of the body than usual.
  • It doesn’t leave much to the imagination
    Said of clothes that reveal a lot of skin, that are very tight, or that are nearly see through.
  • Hot
    Physically attractive, sexually appealing.
  • To turn heads
    To be beautiful, to cause people to turn and look at you.
  • To drop something
    To forget something, or to stop talkingabout something.
  • To cough something up
    To find the means to provide something, especially money
  • Knockoff
    A cheap and low-quality reproduction of something expensive.
  • Bargain basement
    The area of a store where older sale itemsare displayed for discount prices. This expression is also used to describe any cheap or low-quality clothing.
  • The clothes make the man
    An expression meaning that people are judged by their appearance, including especially the clothes they choose to wear.
  • To throw on
    To put clothes on hastily and thoughtlessly.
  • Make a nice impression
    To give people a favorable idea of who you are.
  • To come off as
    To give a certain impression, to suggest a certain attitude or style.
  • Busy
    Describing something that is overly designed—clothes, patterns, wallpaper, art, etc.—or has too many elements.
  • One of a kind
    Unique. Unlike anything else.
  • It’s very me
    It’s typical of something I’d wear, do, or say. It’s representative of me.
  • To burst someone’s bubble
    To disappoint someone. To give someone disappointing news.
  • To fit someone like a glove
    To fit someone perfectly, as if the thing that fits were made specifically for that person.
  • To go with something
    To match something. To look nice together with another thing.
Fits Like a Glove!

Jade: I’m so tired of shopping! Trying to find the perfect clothes for me out of the hundreds of things we’ve seen is like looking for a needle in a haystack!

Orlando: Oh, don’t exaggerate. We haven’t seen that much. Hey look! That place looks nice. Let’s check it out.

Jade: I don’t know . . . those clothes in the window aren’t exactly my cup of tea. Plus, it looks expensive. We’d probably have to pay through the nose for anything we find.

Orlando: Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what?! Don’t be such a wet blanket. You’re the one who’s always complaining about your clothes being out of style. I let you drag me out shopping so you can keep up with the trends, so this is all for you, not for me.

Jade: Okay, you’re right. We’ll give it a try

Orlando: Hey, look at this blouse. Do you want to try it on?

Jade: Wow, it’s a bit low-cut, don’t you think? And you can see right through it! Won’t leave much to the imagination . . .

Orlando: I don’t know, I think it might be kind of hot.

Jade: Forget about it, I’m not wearing that in public. It would turn too many heads, and you know you’re the jealous type.

Orlando: Well, in private then . . .

Jade: Just drop it!

Orlando: Okay, what about these pants?

Jade: Hmm . . . Those aren’t bad . . . Wait . . . Let me see the price . . . Right . . . Just as I thought. Unless you want to cough up $150 for a pair of pants . . . I don’t think so.

Orlando: All right . . . How about these jeans? Nice cut, basic, they don’t cost an arm and a leg . . .

Jade: Yeah, but they look like cheap knockoffs. If I’m going to wear bargain basement clothing I want to be the only one who knows it.

Orlando: Oh, come on, these look fine. And besides, why do you give a darn what other people think?

Jade: Didn’t you always use to say that the clothes make the man?

Orlando: Well, now I’m reformed. I just throw on whatever’s clean and out the door I go.

Jade: Well, I like to make a nice impression, to come off as someone who cares about the way she looks.

Orlando: Speaking of which, check out these pants. They’re really great.

Jade: Yeah . . . but these pleats, all these pockets, they’re a bit busy.

Orlando: I think they’re unusual, really one of a kind. Why don’t you just try them on? You might like them.

Jade: Oh, all right. Hand them over. I’ll try them on.
(Pause)

Orlando: Well, let’s have a look! Can I see them on you?

Jade: What do you think? I don’t think they’re me. I told you it would be impossible to find . . .

Orlando: I hate to burst your bubble, but those pants look great on you . . . They fit you like a glove. Why are you frowning? We’ve finally found something that looks great!

Jade: Now we have to find a top to go with it!

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